Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Receives $302.83 Average PT from Analysts

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $302.8333.

Several analysts recently issued reports on LECO shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 0.7%

LECO opened at $256.56 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.07 billion, a PE ratio of 27.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.24. Lincoln Electric has a one year low of $161.11 and a one year high of $310.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.82. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $272.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $250.38.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 12.30%.The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.57 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LECO. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% in the third quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 82.4% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Company Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: LECO) is a global manufacturer and distributor of welding products, robotic welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment, and surface treatment systems. The company’s portfolio encompasses welding consumables such as electrodes and wires, as well as power sources, torches, and automated welding cells. Lincoln Electric also offers software solutions and training services designed to optimize productivity and quality in fabrication and manufacturing operations.

Founded in 1895 by John C.